Preservation posts: the online journal of the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Dec. 2015

Preservation Posts, December 2015 | View in web browser
- Message from the Director - CLG Spotlight: Albany - Preserving the Fairview School (Cave Spring) - Staff Profile: Barbara Fisher - News and Announcements - Upcoming Events
A message from the Director
- Due to the holiday season, Division Director Dr. David Crass will resume his regular column next month.
Certified Local Government Spotlight: Albany
- Albany was Georgia's 59th CLG
By: Allison Asbrock Outreach Program Manager, CLG Coordinator
(CLG Spotlight is a recurring series in Preservation Posts, where we shine a light
on one of Georgia's 92 Certified Local Governments) As the hub of southwest Georgia and the heart of Dougherty County, the City of Albany became Georgia's 59th Certified Local Government in early 2000. Albany's dedication to preservation began well before becoming a CLG. The city adopted a historic preservation ordinance in 1996. This ordinance established the eightmember Albany Dougherty Historic Preservation Commission that oversees the locally designated Albany Historic District. The district encompasses a variety of commercial, residential, and industrial structures. Many buildings located within the local district are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Classical Revival style Albany Theatre constructed in 1927.
In 2014, Albany received a grant from the Historic Preservation Fund to conduct a phased survey of residential subdivisions that border the existing historic district. These neighborhoods were formed in the early 20th century, with the majority of construction occurring before 1950. The growth of this area is attributed to the establishment of the Putney Memorial Hospital and Turner Field military base, and the development pattern is representative of postwar growth. This resulted in the construction of many Craftsman, Colonial Revival, and Ranch style homes in a distinct planned, community setting. Albany proposes to expand the boundaries of the local historic district to include many of the homes in the Rawson Circle/Palmyra Park neighborhoods. The city is also preparing for their Preservation Month celebrations. In May each year, Albany hosts an art competition aimed at engaging the public with historic sites in Albany. Artists of all ages may submit work that depicts Albany's historic resources. Last May, Nathan Le, a 4th grade Lake Park Elementary School student, held nothing back when his teacher assigned him and his classmates an art project with historical implications. "We wanted to get as involved as possible in the Historic Preservation Commission Art Contest, so I told the students to find a building or place that was more than 50 years old and do an art project around it," art teacher Allison Starr said. "They had a choice between doing a drawing, a painting or a sculpture; Nathan chose to do two." Nathan presented a Lego building replica of the Chamber of Commerce building and a drawing of Radium Springs. The art contest has been successful in engaging the people of Albany to foster an appreciation for the wonderful historic buildings in their community. Be on the lookout for the art contest results, and many more exciting projects from Albany! And for more information about the Certified Local Government program, visit here.
Preserving the Fairview School
- Efforts to save the Cave Spring resource continue
By: Sarah Love Archaeology Outreach Coordinator
Efforts to preserve the Fairview School in Cave Spring, Ga. began in 2009. While researching her own family's history, Joyce Perdue-Smith discovered the history of the school where her father, Eugene Perdue, Sr., once served as principal. When the site was rediscovered in 2009, the school's campus was nearly unrecognizable from how the site looked in the 1920s, when construction of the original Rosenwald school building was completed. Initially consisting of a single three-teacher classroom building, additional classrooms were later constructed to accommodate a growing student body and the consolidation of surrounding African-American schools. Following the decision of Brown vs. Board of Education, the Equalization school E. S. Brown was constructed nearby, and Fairview ceased operating as the community school. Today, the only extant building located on the campus is the first grade building. In 2009, the site was completely overgrown and the first grade building was covered with thick brush and kudzu. Volunteer efforts on behalf of the alumni, community, and local organization led to the uncovering of the first grade building, rock wall, and chimney of the original Rosenwald school building. In 2015, the City of Rome received a $9,000 grant from the Georgia Historic Preservation Division to develop a preservation plan for the campus. Architect Joseph Smith, of Hall Smith Office, and Landscape Architect Wes Ryals, of Environs Design Studio, both in Madison, Ga., were selected to produce a preservation plan and reinterpret the historic campus. The original Rosenwald building was, unfortunately, demolished prior to the beginning of the project, but the modern interpretation includes a community garden, which will utilize the building's original footprint. Since the project's goals required ground disturbing activity, Smith sent a request to the Historic Preservation Division for an archaeological consult.
Looking at the site from an archaeological perspective has been equally fascinating and puzzling. Intentional demolition of the Rosenwald building led to the scattering of materials dating to the building's original use. These items are intermingled with objects dating to the 1960s and 70s, when the first grade building was used as a private residence. However, reliable resources for dating historic materials, such as the Society for Historic Archaeology's bottle dating guide, has helped to facilitate differentiation between the site's two distinct uses.
Work days have involved collaboration between architects and archaeologists, and are frequently visited by members of the community and the alumni. The ability to work alongside individuals directly associated with a site is a rare occurrence in archaeology, and it is a unique experience to discuss artifacts with the people who remember them. Some of the materials uncovered have included a Sanford's Penit ink container, various historic building materials, school scissors, medicine bottle from the Chattanooga Medicine Company, and remnants of desks from the American Seating Company.
Additional work has included the uncovering of the original foundational piers, recording oral histories, researching historic photographs, and aerial documentation of the modern landscape. The site presents a unique set of research questions which can only be answered by the collaborative effort between preservation professionals, architects, archaeologists, and most importantly the community and alumni who have been the driving force behind the preservation of the Fairview School.

Pictured at top: The first grade building prior to clearing, as rediscovered in 2009, left, and a photo of the Fairview student body between 1945-1948. Pictured at bottom: Items scattered during the building's demolition - metal lock and small shard of bottle glass, left, and the site of the original classroom building cleared with foundational piers uncovered, right.
Staff Profile: Barbara Fisher
- Environmental Review Historian, Transportation
Barbara started at HPD in March 2015 as an Environmental Review Historian specializing in Transportation projects. She holds a Master's of Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Ga. Barbara is primarily responsible for reviewing Federal Highway Administration projects and ensuring their compliance with Section 106. Prior to joining HPD, she lived in Portland, Ore. and worked as a federal preservation tax credit consultant, and as a principal investigator for an engineering firm reviewing Section 106 projects. Barbara earned her Bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Historic Preservation from Shepherd University, in Shepherdstown, WV.
- How did you become involved with historic preservation? Growing up in a historic house, in historic Berlin, Maryland (Runaway Bride anyone?), I was influenced by history from a young age. My family places a high value on history, the past and "old stuff." Our family outings consisted of trips to historic Williamsburg or visiting local historic sites and antique shops/flea markets. When I was 10 years old, I was part of an enrichment program at school, where I learned for the first time about the ancient Maya people, their culture and ruins. The program explored terrestrial and underwater archaeology and I was fascinated, and immediately hooked. I grew up thinking I wanted to be an archaeologist. However, in undergrad I made the switch to historic buildings and preservation planning, although I still have an interest in archaeology. - What do you like most about your job? The accountability and structure that Section 106 provides to the historic preservation world. Through Section 106, I get to advocate for and protect our historic resources in a way that makes a real, tangible difference. Daily, I encounter such a variety of historic resources. Each resource requires a different and specific need. These variations and site-specific conditions keep me on my toes and makes Section 106 exciting. - What do you like to do outside of the office? When I am outside of the office I enjoy spending time with my fianc, Stephen, and our pup Crumpets (who found me at our new office!). We love to explore Georgia through hiking and visiting its many historic sites. We also love trying different restaurants and breweries -- suggestions are always welcome!
Recent News & Announcements
Claflin School listed in the National Register of Historic Places Press Release - Dec. 10 Spring 2016 HPC Training Registration Now Open Registration for an upcoming one-day Historic Preservation Commission Training, to be held in Athens, is now open. For details, see the Events section below. To register, visit here. 2016 Historic Preservation Fund Grant Cycle Now Open It's that time of year again. The annual Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grant cycle has begun. Applications for the FFY 2016 cycle are now available. There are no priority project activities for this grant cycle. Eligible project examples include historic resources surveys; National Register district nominations; local designation reports; design guidelines; public information brochures, websites, or workshops/conferences; conditions assessment reports or preservation plans for a specific building or site; and bricks-and-mortar rehabilitation/repair for a specific building or site. Historic sites may include (but are not limited to) cemeteries, parks, gardens, landscapes, and battlefields. Brick-and-mortar (development) projects must be listed on the National Register of Historic Places and submit with their application a planning document (such as a preservation plan) for the property. Only federally designated CLGs are eligible to apply, but they may choose to partner with a non-profit organization located within their community for a preservation project. Applications must be postmarked on or before February 1, 2016. Grant awards will be announced in April 2016. Projects may begin in May 2016- and must be completed by September 30, 2017. If you have questions about the grant program or application process, please contact Grants Coordinator Carole Moore at 770-389-7848 or carole.moore@dnr.ga.gov. Click here for more details or an application for the HPF grant program Input STILL Needed For 5-Year Statewide Preservation Plan We've started work on Georgia's next 5-year State Historic Preservation Plan. One of the most important aspects of developing a preservation plan is to gather public feedback. We value your input - please take a moment to fill out our short survey.
Upcoming Events
Jan. 24, 2016 - Retirement Celebration: Jeanne Cyriaque Join HPD and the Georgia African American Historic Preservation Network (GAAHPN) for a retirement celebration honoring African American Programs Coordinator Jeanne Cyriaque. Jeanne has worked in Historic Preservation, and at the Georgia Historic Preservation Division, for 15 years. The event is scheduled for 2-5 p.m. at the First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta. For details, see the party invitation. If you plan to attend, please email csgriffith52@gmail.com. Feb. 18, 2016 - Coastal Nature, Coastal Culture Symposium - Savannah The Ossabaw Island Foundation is organizing the "Coastal Nature, Coastal Culture: Environmental Histories of the Georgia Coast" symposium. The event will have ten national speakers share their insight on the intersection of coastal cultural history and the environment. including two related to African American heritage. UGA Press will publish the proceedings and the Georgia Historical Society will develop the program into their next award winning teacher education program. To register or learn more, visit www.gacoast2016.org. March 8, 2016 - HPC Training - Athens Through a shared partnership, the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Georgia Downtown Association will offer a one-day educational training as a component of the Georgia's Downtown Conference. The Spring 2016 Historic Preservation Commission training will be held on Tuesday, March 8, 2016. Register here.
Want to Contribute?
- Submit a Guest Article Preservation Posts is published to inform the public about historic preservation issues and developments from the perspective of the SHPO. In keeping with that purpose, HPD has inaugurated a new policy of occasionally soliciting guest articles that are directly related to our statutorily mandated programs. Please note that we do not publish opinion pieces. We also retain editorial control as well as the right to reject any submission. To pitch or submit a piece, or ask questions concerning an idea, email HPD Public Affairs Coordinator Jeff Harrison at jeff.harrison@dnr.ga.gov.
www.georgiashpo.org
Title image: The historic Claflin School, in Columbus, Ga., was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in December. For information about efforts to save the school, visit www.friendsofclaflin.com. For more, see here. Copyright 2016 DNR Historic Preservation Division, All rights reserved.
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